Congestion - Sudafed

[Karibelle]

Peace, Kari.

Folks are going to get themselves in a heap of trouble if they follow the advice from Scubaboard, without checking with their physicians.

Okay, so we agree on something. Whoo hoo!

Read through my posts - I am trying to warn people of the danger of looking at just the tradenames.

Again, I warned them of the danger of blindly reading scuba magazines - as the editors should not let a so called "diving medicine" expert recommend sudafed without contraindications and warning.

and I think you did a good job re the tradenames - I'm referring to the "sudafed" vs. "Pseudoephedrine" part of your posts.

I am trying to warn divers of the dangers of taking sudafed, and I feel that you are labeling me as a drug pusher.

Here's where you lose me a bit... Label you as a drug pusher? Not my intent.

I also stated that sudafed should not be used by divers over the age of 40 and listed the risk factors. I did not say that divers who age will need sudafed.

No, but you did say that divers who age will need drugs. As noted above, I did think you were talking about decongestants, and that is what confused me; the lack of clarity between decongestants and drugs relating to general aging to resolve hardening of the arteries, decreasing kidney function, etc.

kari

 

[fisherdvm]

Kari, I have a strong family history of adult on set diabetes. Both my parents are diabetics. About 1/2 of my siblings have it during pregnancy, or as they get older.

I have accepted the fact that I will become a diabetic - despite being very lean. I have high cholesterol, too, and have not committed myself to taking drug for it - likely will be a mistake.

I have also developed hypertension, only around christmas. And is strictly due to my wife's anxiety. I don't treat it either, as it subside after early January.

Will I continue to dive, yes... And likely will you, if you were in my shoes.

 

[Karibelle]

Kari, I have a strong family history of adult on set diabetes. Both my parents are diabetics. About 1/2 of my siblings have it during pregnancy, or as they get older.

I have accepted the fact that I will become a diabetic - despite being very lean. I have high cholesterol, too, and have not committed myself to taking drug for it - likely will be a mistake.

I have also developed hypertension, only around christmas. And is strictly due to my wife's anxiety. I don't treat it either, as it subside after early January.

Will I continue to dive, yes... And likely will you, if you were in my shoes.

I certainly wish you the best of luck, health-wise.

and I appreciate your discussion here. Thank you!
kari

 

[river_sand_bar]

Ok... so whats the answer ???

 

[Karibelle]

Ok... so whats the answer ???

42

kari

 

[river_sand_bar]

Damn Kari.... I am off by 3 again... I was just 45 the other day...

But on a side note, I really do appreciate all the conversation on this subject... guess its kinda like the old red wine/white wine debate.... although I prefer Scotch.

And no one is 100% correct on this subject. To each his own.

 

[sytech]

Seems a lot of bandwidth is being devoted to a topic which could be resolved by using common sense and trying pseudoephedrine in the nasal spray form which is the most conservative and localized way of administering it.

It's also interesting to read all these safety warnings about drugs, equipment minutae, waiting EXTRA time during a safety stop and related stuff and rarely hear any comments about alcohol use among scuba divers.

One of the first things I became aware of when I started scuba diving was a very cavalier attitude about drinking booze and partying at night before a dive. In fact I regularly hear guys bragging about how wasted they got last night and here they are in the a.m. preparing to go diving. I have heard DM's make such comments with a macho swagger as they were giving us the dive briefing. Really doesn't inspire much confidence. This despite the clear evidence that alcohol consumption (I'm not talking about a beer or two either) has numerous deleterious effects that can predispose a diver to serious problems.

I used to mentioned this on Usenet postings (rec. scuba etc) and all the winos would freak out and actually try to defend their position. I don't post on Usenet scuba groups anymore because there was little possibility of a mature discussion of this issue. I would hope that members of this Board would treat the matter with more gravity.

My 2 cents.


Sy

 

[sniffsunderclouds]

I started this post back in March 2007 and a lot of you replied with different comments about the use of decongestants from the use of Sudafed to Fixonase. However, one post mentioned the use of Netti Pot which I have tried.

I thought I'd share with you my experience using this ancient practice which I have been using now for 2 years.

Jala Netti has been practised in India for centuries as one of the disciplines of yoga. Clinical testing has shown that this practice is safe and beneficial with no significant side effects. Basically it is a system for nasal irrigation using a small pot shaped like a mini watering can into which you place water and salt, I also use an additive which contains zinc and herbal extracts that add anti-microbial and anti-viral support to your nasal wash. The claim is that zinc helps to tone and astringe the nasal passages reducing excess mucus and promoting clear, healthy sinuses.

You pour the wash through your nose which flushes the sinuses, In my experience this system works very well and I have not suffered from congestion since using it.

two words ...Netti pot

 

[ajames54]

I started this post back in March 2007 and a lot of you replied with different comments about the use of decongestants from the use of Sudafed to Fixonase. However, one post mentioned the use of Netti Pot which I have tried.

My wife uses that.. looks funny but she swears by it..

The claim is that zinc helps to tone and astringe the nasal passages reducing excess mucus and promoting clear, healthy sinuses.

Didn't some nasal spray just get banned by the FDA because it contained zinc and was causing temporary or permanent loss of the sense of smell?

ah yes zicam..

More trouble with Zinc?this time in Nasal Spray :: Drug Recall Lawyer Blog

 

[sniffsunderclouds]

Didn't some nasal spray just get banned by the FDA because it contained zinc and was causing temporary or permanent loss of the sense of smell?

Actually now you mention it I have noticed recently that my sense of smell is'nt as good as it was, perhaps I should stop using the zinc aditive and see if there is a difference.

Thanks for the heads-up.